Monday, February 28, 2022

Corridor 109 Pop-Up@Koreatown ★★★

Fantastic Modern Asian Tasting Menu Pop-up Experience. Reminds me of 3-Michellin-Star The Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare in New York, where Chef Brian Baik worked at. Very hard to book - need to book at ticket release on Tock. We were able to book because a waitlist just opened up. Amazing fresh seafood with a modern twist. We bought our own bottle of Riesling, and the restaurant complimented on our wine choice. It went very well with all the flavorful dishes. $195 per person (2022 pricing). Corkage fee is $30. Totally worth it. Old pop-up location was in Koreatown. New location in Chinatown.

Spot Prawn & Caviar Tartlet
ebi miso, vidalia onions, wasabi, citrus

Jeju Island Fluke with Murasaki Uni
citrus soy gelee, myoga ginger, shiso oil

Hokkaido Iwashi Toast
homemade milk bread, pickled red peppers, aioli

Hokkaido Scallop
spinach clam sauce, parsley oil, pea tendrils

Yamaguchi Red Tile Fish
tile fish broth, pare seaweed, Tokyo turnips

Hokkaido Saba With Pesto
spaghetti, pickled white kelp, grated ginger

Beni-Hitominodoguro
blue crab bouillabaisse

Abalone before Plating

Megai Abalone Risotto
koshihikari rice, preserved black truffle, gamtae seaweed

Brought our own bottle of Riesling


Yuzu Sorbet
yuzu zest

Chef Brian Baik

Entrance by the backdoor on the side


Corridor 109
New Location:
727 N Broadway
Unit 207
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Old Location:
698 S Vermont Ave #109
Los Angeles, CA 90005
(213) 389-7300
http://corridor109.com
www.exploretock.com/corridor109

Sunday, February 27, 2022

Wedding Menu Tasting@Disneyland Resort ★★★

Disneyland Wedding Menu Tasting with Wine Pairing. Disney's Fairytale Showcase is back after the pandemic. Decent food. The Ice Glass Slipper with Champagne Sorbet had the finest presentation ever. It is individually hand-cut with a saw. Soup was served French style, meaning they pour the soup in front of you. The salad was very refreshing. The Mac Murray Ranch Pinot Noir was light and nice. Fess Parker Riesling has always been great and more affordable. The Disney Fairy Tale Team was amazing and wonderful to work with.

Ice Glass Slipper with Champagne Sorbet

Roasted Cauliflower Soup
garnish with curry croutons

Citrus Salad with Mache & Frisée Bouquet
pomelo, poppy seed vinaigrette
Paired with Century Cellars Chardonnay

American Wagyu New York Strip
morel mushroom ragout, truffle jus

Roasted Sturgeon with Scallop Mousse, Beurre Blanc

watercress purée, rainbow carrot curls, kohlrabi, pea sprouts
Paired with Mac Murray Ranch Pinot Noir

Dark Chocolate Crunch Cake with Cherry Crème Brûlée Center and Cherry Compote
Strawberry Champagne Flight

Strawberry Champagne Flight Details

Fess Parker Riesling and Mac Murray Ranch Pinot Noir

Character Photo

Wide Range of Hor d'Oeuvres Options

Shrimp & Grits

 

Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings
321-939-4610
www.disneyweddings.com

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Sushi Nikkei@Long Beach ★★

Cool New Peruvian Japanese Restaurant. Innovative fusion with great taste. The sauce, seasoning, and toppings differentiate itself to traditional Japanese cuisine. Friendly and fast service. Got to meet the owner Eduardo Chang Ogata from Peru. Corkage fee is $20.

Octopus Fire $19
parrillera sauce, lemon sauce, chalaquita

Grilled Scallops $14
peruvian scallops, butter, quinoa pop, garlic limo

Peruvian Cebiche $25
catch of the day, tiger milk, aji amarillo, chicharron squid

Crispy Tartar $17
crispy shrimp, avocado topped with tartar fish, wonton, spicy mayo, sweet sauce

Acebichado $17
crispy shrimp, avocado topped with tuna, acebichado sauce, togarashi, green onion

Hakkaisan Junmai 300 mL $27

Hakkaisan Junmai 300 mL $27
The owner, Eduardo Chang Ogata

Sushi Nikkei
3819 Atlantic Ave Long Beach, CA 90807
(562) 283-3042

Monday, February 21, 2022

Cheng Can Cook: Japanese Thinly Sliced Grilled Beef Recipe ★★★

Tested Japanese Thinly Sliced Grilled Beef Recipe. Missing this dish I had in my childhood from Unkai Teppanyaki at Sheraton Hotel in Hong Kong. Tried to recreate it from memory. It came out great, just as I remembered.

Ingredients:
Thin Beef Slices
Garlic - Thinly Sliced
Bean Sprouts – A Handful
Garlic Chives (Chinese Chives) - A Few Bunches, Sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
Salt
Pepper
Soy Sauce (optional)
Ponzu (Chopped Green Onions and Grated Radish optional)

Directions:
1. Grease grill with a rubber brush and cook sliced garlic. Brush garlic with oil. Grill until garlic became garlic chips and set aside.
2. Grill garlic and garlic chives together. Brush will oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add a drizzle of soy sauce (optional). Set aside when cooked.
3. Grill beef slices. Brush with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Plate flat when cooked. Wrap with bean sprouts and garlic chives and garlic chips.
4. Serve with ponzu sauce and enjoy.

Sunday, February 20, 2022

Ducks Restaurant@San Gabriel ★★★

Best Katsudon in Town. Long-time in the neighborhood. Their Katsudon was featured in publications. Can ask for the dinner menu and order dinner combo during lunch. Serves alcohol.

Katsudon Lunch with Tempura Bowl

Katsudon Lunch with Tempura Bowl

Pork Cutlet Curry



1381 E Las Tunas Dr
Ste 1
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 287-8743
https://ducks-restaurant.business.site/

Saturday, January 22, 2022

DeJapan: Ordering from Japan ★★★

My first unboxing video featuring DeJapan!
(Unsponsored honest review) I have been researching on buyers in Japan, aka Japan proxy shopping service, for a few times now. After reading some reviews and comparison, I decided to give DeJapan a try. They help you purchase products from most Japan sites, have them shipped to their warehouse in Japan, consolidate them (even from different shops), and ship to you. It's a game changer to save on shipping, especially for those Japan-only items. 


Fees
They don't charge commission. All they charge is 100 yen consolidation per item (or per listing), which is very minimal and includes insurance. If you order 2 or even 10 of the same item, it will still just be 100 yen total. If you purchase a bundle of items under 1 auction listing, it is counted a 1 item as well.

They would charge 100 yen coordination fee if you need them to ask the seller a question, want to negotiate the price, or ask about shipping. However, if the negotiation has already been addressed in the listing comments, they will not charge it.

Please note that they charge additional 500 yen handling fee per listing for Mercari and PayPayFleaMarket due to additional coordination involved.

If you are ordering a lot of items from the same site, you may consider skipping the 100 yen per item consolidation fee by unchecking the consolidation box when you order, but please note that it will void the insurance as well. I tried it twice. It made me very nervous, but I ended up receiving the package with no problem and saving a lot on the consolidation fee.

Shops
I have ordered with them from Yahoo Auction, Amazon, Fril, Mercari, ShopDisney, Sanrio, Aniplex, etc. No problems with them. Please note that some websites do block proxy service such as Rakuten, Yodobashi, and Movic. Hence, we cannot purchase from them.

Packing Fees

I have been using the free one and never had a problem with it.

Shipping
Their shipping fees are upfront and are clearly listed: https://www.dejapan.com/en/delivery_fee.html. I have only been using the surface mail to save on shipping. It takes 3 months to arrive, but I haven't have a problem with it. Tracking is provided.

Process
Shop > Submit > Pay for items (PayPal or credit card) > Items arrives at DeJapan warehouse > Combine up to 25 orders (different shops ok) > Pay for consolidation fees + domestic shipping + international shipping

Concern
So far I have only experienced 1 small problem once: The buyer only shipped partial of a bundled listing. I inquired DeJapan about their insurance. They said since it has been more than 3 months (due to the surface mail shipping), it's hard to trace back what happened, and there is nothing they could do about it. They tried to reach out to the seller but had gotten no response. It's ok. What was lost was minimal, offset by the low cost service they offer. I ending up purchasing the missing items I wanted from another seller.

Sample Cost (Items from Yahoo! Auctions Japan)
ItemsCostDomestic Shipping
Blu-Ray Movie Box Set4200 JPY2420 JPY
Illustration Print500 JPY210 JPY
Sticker280 JPY84 JPY
Combination Price (100 JPY x3)300 JPY
International Surface Shipping2900 JPY
TOTAL10894 JPY

Credibility
They are 100% reliable. I have ordered from them a few times and have received my items. Their customer service is great and responsive. If you are unsure about what the Japanese means, they would translate it for you. I would highly recommend them!

Saturday, November 27, 2021

Sushi Nakazawa Pop-Up@Miami

Sushi Nakazawa Pop-Up at Four Seasons Miami. Not Jiro's type of Sushi. Too Americanized... or better categorized as "Fusion Omakase". Daisuke Nakazawa, apprentice of Jiro (Dreams of Sushi), seems to be a hype in America. Wasn't sure about the sashimi with strawberry, unless if they have a really good reason. Mediocre service. They only talked to people they know. When we were at Jiro Sukiyabashi in Tokyo,  we asked Jiro's team about Nakazaya. Unfortunately, they told us that they felt like they have been betrayed (their name was being used). 19-Course for $250 per person. Sake was overpriced. However, this review is specific to the pop-up menu. Went to their Michelin-star New York location in 2019. It was ok but not wow. Dinner was 2 hours. LA branch opening soon.

Here is Jiro Sukiyabashi at Roppongi Hills location for comparison:
https://www.syorithefoodie.com/2014/01/jiro-sukiyabashiroppongi-hills.html






Tamago Toast


Soy Marinated King Salmon

Hotate (Sea Scallop)

Stripejack

Bigfin Reef Ika (Squid) with Shiso Leaf

Tai (Japanese Seabream)

Smoked Bonito


Wagyu Beef

Wagyu Beef with Truffle

Soy Marinated Chum Ikura (Salmon Roe)


Uni (Sea Urchin)

Anago (Sea Eel)

Japanese Tea

Sake Menu

14 Thirty-Five (Oct 7 - Nov 13, 2021 pop-up)
Four Seasons Miami
1435 Brickell Ave
Miami, FL 33131
(305) 358-3535
www.sushinakazawa.com